Trapped air life preserver



Sept. 29, 1959 c. o. LANCIANO, JR 2,905,954

TRAPPED AIR LIFE PRESERVER Filed Aug. 1, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l lINVENTOR. i Claude diancz'arzgfi' g I WW Sept. 29, 1959 c. o LANCIANO,JR 2,905,954

TRAPPED AIR LIFE PRESERVER Filed Aug. 1, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Chad? Qlmzciarzgfr 2 BY Sept. 29, 1959 c. o. LANCIANO, JR 7 2,905,954

' TRAPPED AIR LIFE PRESERVER Filed Aug. 1, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. Claude Qlarzcz'arzo, L z' BY M/ TRAPPED AIR LIFE PRESERVERClaude ()lwin Lanciano, Jr., Coke, Va.

Application August 1, 1957, Serial No. 675,785

4 Claims. (Cl. 9-20) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266)The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes without the payment of anyroyalties thereon.

The present invention relates to life preservers and more particularlyto a lightweight, self-inflatable, trapped air life preserver.

There are two principal types of life preservers in common use. One ofthese is the fixed pad type in which the porous flotation material mayconsist of cork, kapok, Fiberglas, polyvinyl chloride or similarmaterial. One disadvantage of the fixed pad life preserver is that it isusually equipped with a bulky pad collar. This collar is cumbersomearound the neck of the wearer and tends to interfere with head movementand other body movements which he may be required to perform whilewearing the preserver; also, should the wearer fall into the body ofwater from a height of ten feet or more, serious head or neck injuriesmay frequently ensue from impact when the wearers body strikes thesurface of the water. Other disadvantages of the fixed pad typepreserver are that its bulk and heavy weight make the wearer prone todiscard it or to wear it in such a fashion that its effectiveness isnullified when the wearer unexpectedly falls into water. Since fixed padpreservers are not inflatable, there is no means by which their buoyancymay be adjusted. This undesirable feature is in contrast to the bettertypes of inflatable life preservers which are provided with oralinflation stems so that the wearer, once he is in the water, may furtherinflate the preserver for additional protection against wave action ormay deflate it at will to provide more freedom for swimming.

The inflatable life preserver is the other common type of preserver inuse today. One disadvantage of inflatable preservers is that they areinflated by the discharging of a C cartridge, and unless the wearer isconscious when he falls into the water and unless. an operable chargedcartridge is present in the inflation unit the preserver will not beinflated. To avoid the chance of non-functioning or malfunctioning ofthis type of preserver, it is necessary to keep a supply of cartridgeson hand and to make frequent inspections of the preserver itself. Thealternative to reliance on charged cartridge inflation is for the wearerto wear the preserver in an inflated state. The disadvantages of thisprocedure are obvious; the preserver has inconvenient and restrictivebulk and is easily subject to puncturing.

Recent experience in the Armed Forces, especially during World War IIand the Korean war, emphasized the need for a light-weight,self-inflating life preserver for use by personnel whose duties requirethem to operate near bodies of water. The need for this type ofpreserver is particularly great for personnel engaged in river-crossingsor bridge construction operations. It was found that the fixed pad typeof preserver unduly restricted the body action of bridge constructionworkers and greatly hindered their efiiciency when engaged in tasks suchas moving, bending, climbing, working in ited States Pater areas ofrestricted clearances, lifting and carrying weights up to pounds, orswinging a hammer or sledge. These disadvantages induced personnel toeither completely discard the preserver or else to wear it in a mannerthat nullified its effectiveness. The fixed pad preservers wereineffective in keeping the wearers nose and mouth safely out of thewater, the degree of their buoyancy couid not be controlled, and thislatter disadvantage made swimming very diflicult. The inflatable typepreservers of the prior art also proved unsatisfactory because of thedisadvantages which have been previously alluded to.

Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention to provide alightweight, self-inflating life preserver which is capable of holdingthe wearers face out of the water even when he is unconscious.

it is another object of the present invention to provide a lifepreserver of minimum bulk and weight which will not unduly restrict thebody movement of a worker engaged in such strenuous tasks as bridgeconstruction or river-crossing operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide a life preserver withmeans for automatic inflation regardless of whether the wearer isunconscious or overly excited.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selfinflating lifepreserver which will obviate the need for CO or similar inflationcartridges and which will retain residual buoyancy even if part of itsstructure i punctured or ripped.

Another object of the invention is to provide a life entered the waterto permit increasing the buoyancy for additional wave protection ordecreasing the buoyancy to make swimming easier.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lifepreserver which will remain at least partially inflated at all times andyet have a breathing action when worn out of water which will prevent itfrom interfering with movements of the wearer and which will tend tobecome more fully inflated if the wearer falls from any height.

It is a still further object of the instant invention to provide a lifepreserver that is relatively simple, rugged, and foolproof, whichrequires an absolute minimum of care and maintenance, and which whenadjusted properly on the wearer has no protruding, projecting ordangling parts to catch on objects nearby, or to trip the wearer.

Broadly described, the present invention is a selfinflating, trapped airlife preserver, comprising a plurality of airtight, collapsiblecompartments open at their lower ends, an inflatable, airtight,collapsible collar, and means for conducting air displaced from theairtight compartments into the collar to inflate it.

In operation, when worn out of water, the collar of the life preserverlies flat on the neck and shoulders of the wearer and his body movementsare relatively unencumbered because pressure against the aircompartments causes them to expel air through the openings or portsresulting in partial collapse of the compartments at the point ofpressure. The partial collapse of the air compartments respousive'tosuflicient pressure from any part of the body prevents the preserverfrom interfering with the physical movements of the wearer.

their original shape and achieve their formed configuration by drawingair back through the openings or ports into the compartments.

If the wearer falls or is knocked into the water, he is Patented Sept.29, 1959 Upon release of the pressure, the compartments tend to resumeinvoluntarily rotated'by the turning movement created by the air trappedin the preserver into a head-up, near vertical position. Loss of airduring rotation is nominal because the series of openings or ports areof relatively small diameter. Due to the pressure differential, waterwill enter the air compartments forcing the trapped air upward into thecollar, automatically inflating it and lifting the wearers face out ofthe water. When the wearer emerges from the water, the compartments willvoid all water which they contain through the openings or ports in theirlower ends.

Further objects and a more thorough understanding or the invention maybe obtained by referring to the following description and claims takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings which disclose anillustrative embodiment of the construction forming the basis of theinvention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the life preserver in its deflated state;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the life preserver in itsinflated state;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 5 is a disassembled perspective view showing the air compartmentsand the collar;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 5 but showingthese parts in the assembled position;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken along the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken along the line 1010 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11, Fig. 12, Fig. 13, and Fig. 14 are sectional perspective viewsillustrating various modifications of the separators which may be usedin the present invention.

In accordance with the invention, a life preserver jacket is providedhaving a plurality of airtight compartments open at their lower ends, aninflatable collar means, and means for conducting trapped air from theairtight compartments to the collar to inflate it.

In the present preferred embodiment of the invention, the plurality ofairtight compartments comprises a series of resilient collapsiblediaphragms having a series of openings or ports at their lower endsthrough which air may be either easily admitted or expelled to causeinflation or deflation of each diaphragm. The inflatable collarcomprises a flexible, inflatable, horseshoe shaped diaphragm which maybe readily inflated or deflated by the passage of air either into or outof the collar through the conducting means for transferring air betweenthe airtight compartments and the inflatable collar.

In one of the illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention (Fig.5), the plurality of airtight compartments comprises four thin-walled,collapsible, airtight, waterproof compartments. There are two rearcompartments 16 and 18 and two front compartments 20 and 22. Each of thecompartments 16, 18, 20, and 22 has an inner wall 24 and an outer wall26. The two rear compartments 16 and 18 are joined side by side to formthe back of the life preserver (Fig. 7). The outer walls 26 of thecollapsible compartments 16, 18, 20, and 22 have built-in pleats orfolds 28 which permit these compartments to readily assume asemi-collapsed state when the preserver is worn out of the water to helpprevent the preserver from hampering body movements of the wearer.

A horseshoe shaped tube composed of the same flexible, waterproofmaterial as the collapsible compartments forms the inflatable collar 30.A partition 32 divides the inflatable collar 30 into two separatecompartments. A combined oral inflation and evacuation stem 34 isprovided for each compartment of the collar, and a fastener 36 serves tohold the collar around the neck of the wearer. Theinflatable collar 30may be designed with built-in pleats or folds 38 (as depicted in Fig. 1)which permit the collar to lie flat upon the neck and shoulders of thewearer when in its deflated state and occupy a minimum amount of spacewith as little interference as possible to movements of the wearer. Thedivision of the collar into two compartments is a safety measure whichprevents complete loss of buoyancy of the preserver should one side ofthe collar become punctured. Inflatable collar St) is provided with aseries of openings 40 which connect each of the'collar compartments withtwo of the collapsible body compartments 16, 18, 20, and 22. If air istrapped in the collapsible body compartments, it will automatically betransmitted through these openings 44 to the inflatable collar 30 tocompletely inflate it.

An expanded compartment 42 is attached to the lower end of each of thecollapsible compartments 16, 18, 20, and 22 in an airtight, watertightmanner and so that the expanded compartments 42 project into the bottomportion of each collapsible compartment. Each expanded compartment 42 isprovided with a series of ports or openings 44 along its upper surfaceso that air or water may freely pass between each collapsiblecompartment and the expanded compartment 42 with which it is associated.Like the collapsible compartments 16, 18, 20, and 22 each expandedcompartment 42 has an inner wall 46 and an outer wall 48. Between theinner wall 46 and outer wall 48 of each expanded compartment 42 are aseries of separators 50 which are flexible enough to permit the outerwall 48 to be pressed in toward the inner wall 46 responsive to theapplication of outside pressure on the outer wall 48 but resilientenough to return the outer wall 48 of the expanded compartment 42 to itsoriginal position once the application of external pressure isterminated. The lower end of each of the expanded compartments 42 isopen to the atmosphere and when the wearer is maintaining a normalrelaxed position each of the expanded compartments 42 will remain in afully expanded state; however, if sufficient pressure is exerted bycontact with some outside force or object the outer wall 48 of theexpanded compartment 42 will collapse against the inner wall 46 when theseparators 50 give way, and in this manner the expanded compartments 42are made relatively resistant to injury or puncturing and olfer aminimum of interference to movement by the wearer.

If the wearer of the life preserver should fall into the water, theseparators 50 will virtually insure that the expanded compartments 42are all in an expanded full volume configuration, and when the wearersbody enters the water the air in these expanded compartments 42 will betrapped and forced upward by pressure differential to the ports oropenings 44 to fully inflate the collapsible compartments 16, 18, 20,and 22 and the inflatable collar 30. Due to the construction of theexpanded compartments 42, the lower part of each of the collapsiblecompartments 16, 18, 20, and 22 will be partially inflated with air.This air, plus the air in the expanded compartments 42, is suflicient tofully inflate the preserver.

An elastic strip 52 holds each of the expanded compartments 42 in itsproper relative position on the wearer. Suitable fasteners 54 areprovided to close the front of the life preserver in the manner in whichthe front of an ordinary vest is fastened (Figs. 1, 3, and 7). Thecompletely assembled preserver, which may be additionally protected witha suitable fabric covering, is depicted in a deflated state in Figs. 1and 2 and in an inflated state in Figs. 3 and 4.

A second form or embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 8, 9, and10. In this embodiment (Fig. 8), the airtight compartments comprise anexpanded rear compartment 56 and two expanded side compartments 5S and60. Each of the expanded compartments 56, 58, and 60 has an inner wall62 which lies next to the wearers body and an outer wall 64, which inthis embodiment is provided with studs 66 so that each of the expandedcompartments may be firmly attached to the inside layer of a protectiveouter garment. The separator strips 68 (Fig. 9) made of rubber, plastic,or some other suitable material are used between the inner wall 62 andouter wall 64 of each of the compartments 56, 58, and 60 to keep them inan expanded or inflated state. Since each of the expanded compartments56, 58, and 6%) is supplied with a series of ports or openings 75) alongits lower edge, if suflicient pressure is placed on the outer wall 64 ofone of the expanded compartments, the separator strips 68 will give waypermitting the outer wall 64 to cave in towards the inner wall 62 whileair is expelled through the ports or openings 7 0. When the pressure isreleased from the outer wall 64 the separator strips 68 will act toreturn the outer wall 64 to its normal expanded position and theresulting pressure difierential between the inside of the expandedcompartment and the atmosphere will cause air to be drawn in through theports or openings 70 to reexpand or re-inflate the compartments.

An inflatable horseshoe shaped collar 72 also forms a part of thisembodiment. When the preserver is worn out of the water, the inflatablecollar 72 is in a deflated state and lies flat against the neck andshoulders of the wearer. However, as soon as the wearer enters thewater, water will enter the expanded compartments 56, 58, and 60 throughthe ports or openings 70, and since the inflatable collar 72 isconnected to each of the expanded compartments 56, 58, and 60 by asuitable means for conducting air from the expanded compartments intothe inflatable collar 72, such as flexible plastic tubes 74 as shown inthe illustrated embodiment (Fig. 8), the pressure differential betweenthe inflatable collar 72 and the expanded compartments will force airthrough the flexible tubes 74 up into the inflatable collar 72 to causeits inflation. When the lower part of each of the expanded compartments56, 58, and 60 has become partially filled with water, the pressureswill equalize and the inflatable collar 72 and the expanded compartmentswill be in a fully inflated state.

Each of the expanded compartments 56, 58, and 60 is held in its properrelative position by means of a belt 76 which is attached to the innerwall 62 of each expanded compartment in some suitable manner. When thebelt 76 is fastened around the waist of the wearer each of the expandedcompartments will then be in its proper position. The inflatable collar72 is provided with a fastener 78 so that it may be secured around theneck of the wearer, and is also provided with an oral inflation andevacuation stem 30. This stem 80 permits the wearer to orally furtherinflate the preserver once he has entered the water or to deflate it ifhe desires to obtain more freedom for swimming.

Alternative embodiments for the separator strips 50 and 68 are shown inFigs. 11, 12, 13, and 14. Transverse partitions of rub-her, plastic, orother flexible material 82 are disclosed in Fig. 11. Fig. 12 showsspindles of rubber or plastic 84. A small block of foam rubber or foamplastic 86 is disclosed as a separator in Fig. 13, and Fig. 14 depictsthe use of small stainless steel or plastic coil springs 88.

As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the instant invention provides alightweight, simple, relatively foolproof, self-inflating lifepreserver, which, when worn out of the water, offers an absolute minimumof interference with the the body movements and actions of the wearer,but which will inflate itself with the trapped air which it containseven if the wearer should fall into the water in an unconscious state.The inflatable collar which, when the life preserver is worn out of thewater, lies flat on the neck and shoulders of the wearer, becomesquickly inflated with the trapped air when the wearer becomes Waterborne, and even if the wearer is unconscious the inflation of the collarwill lift his nose and mouth clear of the water and protect him fromdrowning. The present invention, by providing a lightweight,self-inflating life preserver which, because of its breathing action,offers a minimum of hindrance to the body movements of a constructionworker and which is so efficient as a life preserver that it willprevent an unconscious man from drowning should he be knocked into thewater, fulfills a long felt need in reducing the loss of human life indangerous river-crossing and bridge construction operations. This needhad not been met by previous types of life preservers.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and wish tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A self-inflating life preserver comprising in combination a pluralityof airtight, collapsible compartments open at their lower ends, aninflatable airtight collar connected with the compartments for inflationby displacement of air trapped within said compartments, a plurality ofresilient expanded compartments open at their lower ends, each expandedcompartment joined to one of the collapsible compartments by anairtight, watertight seal, and each expanded compartment connected by anopening in its upper end to the lower end of its associated collapsiblecompartment to permit free passage of air and water between the expandedcompartment and its associated collapsible compartment.

2. A self-inflating life preserver as recited in claim 1, in whichresilient separators are provided between the interior walls of theexpanded compartments to automatically return the expanded compartmentsto their original expanded conformation whenever an outside pressuretending to collapse them is released.

3. A self-inflating life preserver comprising in combination a pluralityof airtight expanded compartments having openings in their lower endsand resilient separators between the interior walls of the expandedcompartments to automatically return the compartments to their originalexpanded conformation whenever an outside pressure tending to collapsethem is released, an inflatable collar, a plurality of flexible tubesconnecting the upper end of each expanded compartment with theinflatable collar so that the collar will be automatically inflated bythe displacement of a trapped volume of air from the expandedcompartments into the collar.

4. A self-inflating life preserver comprising in combination a pluralityof airtight, collapsible compartments open at their lower ends andhaving resilient separators between the interior walls of the expandedcompartments to automatically return the compartments to their originalexpanded conformation whenever an outside pressure tending to collapsethem is released, an inflatable collar divided into separate airtightportions by a partition, the top of each airtight, collapsiblecompartment opening into one of the portions of the inflatable collar sothat a volume of air trapped in the collapsible compartments willautomatically be displaced into the inflatable collar to inflate it.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS998,698 Klint July 25, 1911 2,292,490 Stokes Aug. 11, 1942 2,722,020Gazelle Nov. 1, 1955

